Join us on Thursday, March 8th in Holyoke, MA to hear amazing preacher Marisa Egerstrom (and to see Casper and Vanessa talk about Harry Potter) ! Tickets here. Also, send in more owl-related Owl Post voicemails to hpsacredtext@gmail.com.

Vanessa tells a story about how experiences that could be traumatic can be reframed with the help of a good therapist. Forgetting Viktor Krum’s name in the 30 Second Recap, Vanessa reminds us that she doesn’t care about sports, even fictional ones. Vanessa and Casper talk about Moody’s lesson on the Imperius Curse. Vanessa proposes a theory about how pain that leads to strengthening is not traumatic, but how a quick change in circumstance can lead to pain becoming traumatic. Casper brings up the concept of integration, and how placing pain into a larger personal narrative can prevent it from sticking as trauma.

In talking about Hagrid’s threat to turn Draco into a ferret, Vanessa and Casper dive into why people hurt others. Casper brings up a meditation practice he is currently doing (link here) and how he has used it to understand generational trauma. Vanessa mentions codified days of mourning, and how there should be a day that allows people to reckon with trauma.

In Sacred Imagination, Casper reads the passage for the second week in a row. Do they do this because people prefer Casper’s British accent over Vanessa’s Valley Girl accent? Just a theory. Vanessa talks about how Madame Maxime has to navigate making an entrance, and Casper imagines himself in Harry’s shoes, thinking about Madame Maxime can show Hagrid that he is not alone.

In this episode, Mike McHargue from The Liturgists podcast tells a story about his experience with bullying, relating it to Neville Longbottom’s character arc. Mike, Casper, and Vanessa talk about how being bullied makes you especially sensitive to injustice later in life. Vanessa asks about how we can understand Moody as transformed Barty Crouch when he comforts Neville. They relate this to our current social moment as we increasingly learn troubling information about public figures we used to revere.

In the 30 Second Recap, Casper manages to name only a single Unforgivable Curse. Vanessa clearly should win this week’s recap just for that and you should vote for her here. In a shocking twist, Vanessa empathizes with Snape, talking about the purgatory of changing and having people not recognize that. Vanessa and Casper discuss Hermione’s founding of S.P.E.W. Casper brings up the transformation that activists undergo as they gain more experience in advocating for their cause. They explore the duality of change—how transformation can happen in an instant, but also how that transformation is a part of larger arc of change.

In Sacred Imagination, Vanessa talks about how excited Harry must be to see Hedwig, perhaps informed by the experience of see her amazingly cute dog Rory after a long time apart. Casper says he feels relaxed by going to the dentist, indicating that perhaps he needs better coping mechanisms for day to day stress. Vanessa agrees about the comfort she feels when “a grown up” enters a situation, which is odd because Casper and Vanessa are both fully grown adults.

Join us on Thursday, March 8th in Holyoke, MA for the first live show of 2018! Tickets here.

The first live show of 2018 will happen Thursday, March 8th in Holyoke, MA! Tickets here.

Casper tells a story about how, as a child, he vowed to never be a goth. Secondarily, the story is also about how we are often the most critical of ourselves. In the continuing conversations about the Failed Pedagogy of Hogwarts, Vanessa and Casper’s hypothetical book, Vanessa compares Parvati and Lavender’s defense of Professor Trelawney and Hermione’s defense of Hagrid. This leads Casper and Vanessa to explore the codependent relationships between teachers and students in the text.

They discuss how teachers fail in their duty of care when they refuse to judge the negative repercussions of their actions. When talking about Hagrid’s lesson, Casper talks about “the tyranny of functionalism”—the idea that living things are only valuable when they are useful. This eventually leads to the conclusion that Hagrid’s poor lesson plans act as absurdist humor about the poor teaching at the school.

In Sacred Imagination, Vanessa and Casper imagine themselves in a scene of confrontation between Ron and Draco. Vanessa discusses the functionality of women as it relates to the disappearance of Bertha Jorkins, circling back to the discussion of functionalism.

Vanessa talks about how she went to the Oscars and spent the whole time feeling badly that her parents had to sit through traffic in order to drive her there. Casper and Vanessa start to name the memoirs of themselves and characters in the book, the best being the “Still Life” by Colin Creevey. Casper talks about how excitement sometimes needs time to bloom. Vanessa and Casper discuss whether pomp and ceremony boost or undercut excitement.

Vanessa wonders if Gryffindor and Slytherin could have come together in their excitement about the Triwizard Tournament. Casper points out how institutionalized rivalry, displayed when the Weasley twins hiss at First Years as they get sorted into Slytherin, can undermine joy. Casper argues that knowledge is a precursor to excitement. Vanessa rightfully describes how finding out that a building was made by chickens would be exciting, but only after you learn that fact.

In Sacred Imagination, Vanessa and Casper think about what it would be like to see Mad Eye Moody for the first time. They explore the relationship between Barty Crouch Jr. and Moody. Vanessa discusses Hermione’s reaction to Moody and Casper compares it to how she reacts to finding out how House Elves are making the food.

As Vanessa tweeted, were they high on cold medicine when they recorded this episode? Discuss!

Chelsea Kleven has won the t-shirt contest with her “Got Snake Milk?” design that wonderfully mocks Vanessa and Casper. For those who don’t remember, Vanessa and Casper believed that milking a snake involved a lactating reptile.

Vanessa talks about her and Ariana’s trip to New York to see the Puffs play. Vanessa describes it as “a lot of very funny jokes and a lot of death” which is a rave review from her. Ron and Hermione are played by a mop and a candlestick with rope on it, respectively.

Vanessa and Casper explore whether or not loyalty is a good thing, since it leads to so many Hufflepuff deaths. Casper thinks about how Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy’s loyalties deeply affect the trajectory of the books. Vanessa advocates for the Housing system at Hogwarts to be abolished, or at least randomized. Ever referenced, she brings up how this would be a chapter of Vanessa and Casper’s hypothetical book The Failed Pedagogy of Hogwarts. Vanessa talks about how she loves the 90s and Casper similarly confesses he has been on a Green Day bout.

In this edition of Owl Post, Vanessa and Casper first respond to a voicemail from a listener with alopecia, and how she relates to Harry and his scar. Vanessa and Casper talk how attention and love can be the same thing, and the importance of staying present when you are engaging with someone. Another listener complicates Hermione’s S.P.E.W. campaign by relating it to their experience as a trauma victim advocate, which reminds Casper of how internalized narratives can negatively impact marginalized groups.

In response to a Havruta about Fred and George’s bet at the Quidditch World Cup, a listener presents the idea that the twins are displaying resilience and confidence, not recklessness. A listener shares their story about the relationship between trauma and memory. They make the argument that the act of obliviation is an act of violence. A listener from Greece asks a Havruta question about her experience living abroad and relates that to how Hermione rarely talks about the muggle world.

Marya Bangee, founder and CEO of SILA Consulting, talks about her experience working with the entertainment industry to bring the voices of vulnerable and underrepresented communities into popular media. Casper asks about the intersection of her experience as a Muslim American woman and the portrayal of Muslim people in entertainment. Vanessa asks Marya the Havruta question about Hermione’s muggle life, and Marya proposes that Hermione might not always want to call out how she is different. Marya talks about rereading the Harry Potter series in order to process the troubling events of the year. The three discuss the role of sacred texts in their lives, and how the Qur’an is different that sacred texts in other religions. She recites a piece of the Qur’an called Surat al-Fatiha. Link to a translation here.

Casper tells a story of about how his parents cleverly turned cleaning their house into a game. While talking about where Queen Victoria used to pee, Vanessa makes multiple attempts to do a British accent which Casper mysteriously does not mock. Casper spends the majority of his 30 Second Recap lamenting how no one wants to talk about owls with him. Vanessa obliges him, so send in your owl-related voicemails for an Owl Post episode to harrypottersacredtext@gmail.com.

Casper points out that games often create a different construction of reality where earnest belief allows you to experience joy. As the text frames the end of summer as gloomy, Casper talks about how to find the happiness at the beginnings of a school year. Vanessa builds upon that idea, saying sadness around summer or a weekend ending does not necessarily signal that work is bad, but merely that people must grapple with things coming to an end. Vanessa suggests how play can be used to subvert traditions, and shares a personal story about how humor can be used in times of sadness and fear.

In Sacred Imagination, Casper imagines himself as Hermione and wishes he understood science. Vanessa remembers times where she learns groundbreaking new information, and how that can make you feel small or alternatively, make the world seem very large.

Vanessa tells a story about the promise of shomer negiah in Orthodox Jewish communities, and how sometimes it is hard to see beyond the sacrifices involved in promises. Casper and Vanessa explore why people keep promises, and whether there is always an element of selfishness in that. Vanessa requests a vegetarian casserole if she ever gets cancer and ends up in the hospital.

Vanessa mentions the promises that journalists make to the public to promote the truth and hold people in power accountable. Casper intertwines trust and promises between government and their constituents. Casper and Vanessa talk about personality as a promise, and how familial roles also are promises that can shift.

In Havruta, Vanessa and Casper question why the Weasley twins test their products directly in front of Molly. Casper talks about how wisdom and knowledge are intertwined, especially in the context of acceptance. In the bloopers, Casper does a Tiny Tim impersonation that you definitely should listen to.

It was recently Casper’s birthday, and he has turned 26 (again). He turns back the clock and tells a story about high school bullies on the theme of grudges. Reminded of our current state of domestic terrorism, Casper and Vanessa dig into how we are complicit when we don’t speak up to bullies.

Vanessa brings up the intersection of personal and systemic grudges, and how sometimes it is beneficial to de-program ourselves from these. Casper discusses how conversations about truth and memory can prevent the continuation of oppression in the context of wizards harassing the Veelas, and of former Death Eaters wearing their outfits publicly without any kind of reckoning.

In Havruta, Casper talks about the importance of citing sources. Vanessa responds with calling upon Dr. Stephanie Paulsell’s wise ministerial practice of stating facts as a way to manage difficult conversations. If Dr. Paulsell is not mentioned, is it really an episode of Harry Potter and the Sacred Text?

In this episode of Harry Potter and the Sacred Text, Kevin T. Porter from Gilmore Guys and Good Christian Fun begins with a story on fandom and Bruce Springsteen. Vanessa and Casper talk about how communities are formed within the crowds of sporting events, mentioning the childcare option of temporarily leaving your kid with strangers. Casper discusses how identifying with a sports team can cause you to excuse wrongs too quickly. Perplexed by seemingly arbitrary sports team allegiances, Vanessa wonders what we cheer for when we support a team. She agrees with Jerry Seinfeld, concluding that we are just rooting for laundry.

Vanessa and Casper examine the teams’ mascots: Leprechaun and Veelas. Casper sees them as representing the empty promises of fandom, while Vanessa understands them as the spoils of war—women and money. From the analogy, Vanessa perceives the Veelas’ anger as the rage of women who are simultaneously harassed and lauded for their beauty.

During Havruta, Vanessa and Casper contemplate what it means for a team success to be based on one person. They recommend a week-long Harry Potter movie marathon in January, and Vanessa, unable to get through an episode without mentioning dogs, rightly suggests that you donate to the Houston SPCA while doing it. Link here!

We had so many amazing submissions to our T-Shirt Design contest. Here are our 4 finalists by 3 designers. The Winner will get TWO TICKETS to The Puffs Play in New York City and of course, a free T-Shirt! Thank you to everyone who submitted and congrats to the finalists!

Vote is closed! Winner will be announced

Our talented designers are: Emily Jose, Madeline Rice and the last two are both by Chelsea Kleven

In this week's chapter we learn the true history behind the beauty of the Ponte Vecchio, discuss the beauty of familial love, misty moors and multiculturalism. We also talk about the ugly side of beauty. Casper also refers to the Quidditch World Cup camp out as a kind of Burning Man.

Start your 2018 right by organizing a Harry Potter Week with your friends and family! For the first week of January 2018, get folks together to watch all eight Harry Potter movies - one every night, with a double bill on the final day.

In this week's episode, Casper talks about getting rejected, trying again, and then getting rejected AGAIN. (We've all been there.)

Vanessa and Casper wonder if it is Amos Diggory's lack of acceptance that leads Cedric to putting his name in the Goblet of Fire. They ask when are we not being accepting of those around us whom we love and when do we feel rejected? When is rejection simply an opportunity?

They also thank two AMAZING people who brought peach pie to our Atlanta Live Show (thank you! Nom nom nom.)

In this week's episode, Vanessa makes mention of the Harvey Weinstein scandal. They discuss the difficulty in pronouncing Weasley's Wizard Wheezes (need a rebrand, much?) and that it would be easier if it was called Veasley Vizard Veezes.

They talk about the gender dynamics around sports fandom and whether or not we should ask what the sex of a baby is. (Casper says, 'no'. It's weird.)

Lastly, they ask: Where is Bertha Jorkins? Why aren't we looking for her?

This week's episode we have special guest, Zach Kerzee. Zach is the founder of Simple Church , an amazing bread baker and is foster dad to two amazing girls. He says:

Foster Care is an opportunity to impact the life of a child and make a small dent in many of the social problems in our country.

This week we think about the mystery that the Dursleys hold for the Weasleys and vice versa. We discuss the great episode of Radiolab that talks about trying to be good first, and we bless Petunia and Arthur, somehow for the same reason.

In this week's episode Casper tells his amazing engagement story, which includes an accidental proposal. Casper and Vanessa discuss the body issues and awareness around Dudley, Harry's keen awareness about how to manipulate Vernon and that Vanessa knows when to ask Ariana for something and when to ask Casper.

Call to action: Write to someone who has taken a public stand for something to thank them! Send a nice email to someone who may be experiencing a lot of backlash for something that you actually think is awesome.

She says that she had to miss her Latin final because of the earthquake. She probably wished that it meant she missed it entirely, but she didn't. She had to take it. And still remembers how to decline, "Puella". But that's the only declension she remembers: puella, ae, ae, am, a, ae, arum, is, as, is. (She bows)

Casper calls out Vanessa for breaking one of the basic rules of HPST in her 30 second recap. She mentions JK Rowling. (WHO???) When we KNOW that when treating a text as sacred, we do NOT consider authorial intent. So, Vanessa gets paused and has to start back up again for her 30 second recap.

Casper shares a great Div School quote: "Preach from your scars, not your wounds"

On this week's episode, Casper and Vanessa discuss questions like, What is instinct? What is a mob mentality? When do we think we feel something in our gut when really, all we feel is fear?

Casper opens the episode with a story about when he was frustrated and kept a secret. But everybody knew he was withholding, and knew with their instinct to talk to him. They had a big discussion in the room, and something that he didn't tell in the episode is that the lighting fixture in the room fell right after the meeting. It couldn't handle the intensity of the conversation.

Lectio Divina, this week, leads us to discuss Mads Mikkelsen in Casino Royal, obviously. Isn't he so handsome?